In July 2023 Italian bass-baritone Mattia Venni made his professional debut at the Lincoln Center in New York City, in the title role of Crispino in Crispino e la Comare (L&F Ricci). The New York Times’ Oussama Zahr said of Venni’s portrait of Crispino: “Mattia Venni was a sensational Crispino — his handsome baritone and capacity for self-parody allowed him to evolve from the melodramatic sobs of an almost-suicide scene to the complacent patter of success”. The Teatro Nuovo production directed by Will Crutchfield was met with widespread critical acclaim. Classical Voice America’s David Shengold praised Venni for his, “comic perfection and his firm tonal core” and Wall Street Journal’s Heidi Waleson said, “Starred bass-baritone Mattia Venni as a hilarious Crispino, who brilliantly executed the rapid Italian patter and the subtle physical comedy of the role”.
In 2024, he will make his Long Beach Opera debut as Melisso in Alcina (G.F.Handel), directed by James Darrah and in the fall, he will sing the role of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (W.A.Mozart). He most recently performed as Suplice in the Parnassus Society’s February 2024 production of La Fille du Regiment, at Soka Performing Arts Center. In November 2023, Venni was awarded both the first place and special prize Giuseppe Taddei Awards at the International Lyric Competition in Genova, Italy.
Venni had a successful career in the film industry as a camera operator in Paris, France and Los Angeles, California prior to switching careers in 2019. In 2020 he enrolled in UCLA after being accepted to three prestigious institutions: Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA. In 2021 he performed the role of Don Bartolo in UCLA opera’s Le nozze di Figaro (W.A. Mozart) and in June 2022 he sang the role of Dulcamara in L’Elisir d’Amore (G. Donizetti) with Opera UCLA.
Mattia sang the role of Polyphemus in Acis and Galatea (Handel) in November 2022, directed by Crystal Manich and conducted by Dr. James Bass. Venni graduated in June 2023 with a Bachelor of Music with the highest honors from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music.
